foxrus14

iTrader: (5)

I hopped in my WS6 about 11:30 today and drove an hour and a half to Sam Strano's shop in Brookville PA. in the middle of no where but a nice curvy ride in a great performance machine. i had talked to Sam on a few occasions and ordered my springs from him about 3 weeks ago. i mainly went there to get a feel for what Revalve spec i wanted. little did i know that 5 min after I was there did we hop in Sam's Z28. the ride quality was amazing. we took his car on some bumpy, windy back hills of PA roads. the ride was amazing. Next we took my WS6, keep in mind it is the upgraded factory suspension. the ride quality was about the same but the stability was not even in the same league as his car. all I have to say is if you get a chance and you are thinkning about Strano springs, go visit Sam.
I am getting my revalves set to his Z28 specs. keep in mind this is the car he races. Very niiiiice!!
got to feel it to believe it!

STRETCH'S T/A

iTrader: (13)

very nice that he took the time to take you for a ride to see how the shocks would feel, that's great customer service. what did he set yours up for ride, or handling? I went with handling when I ordered mine.

ap2000z28

iTrader: (7)

Thats awesome. Sam is the man when it comes to this stuff, I am just waiting on my revalves to come in. I cant wait!!!

foxrus14

iTrader: (5)

essentially it is going to be set up for both... the ride of his was amazing and the stability in the bumpy corners etc.. was tremendous. i just told him i want it like his.. thats all...

2002BlackSS

iTrader: (4)

I thought he had Koni SAs on his car. He can set up Bilsteins to perform like Konis? If he can set them up for both ride quality and handling, why would there still be a market for adjustables?

(Granted, he's the expert, and I know nothing beyond what I've read on this forum, so I may just be uninformed.)

I only ask because I hope to one day be in the market to order from him.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Sorta. He can set them up to match one specific setting of the Koni's (like, where his car was when you drove it). When we race, we often need to make adjustments. For street use, you typically won't touch them once you find the setting you like. So, yes, revalves can work perfectly if they suit your needs (and you have no reason to adjust them once they are on, which many people don't).

foxrus14

iTrader: (5)

I think you miss understood. they are definitely not adjustable like koni's. they handle tremendously and keep the car going exactly where you want it to go no matter what. with out compromising the ride quality. Maybe i explained it wrong. some springs will make your car go where you want it to but sacrifice ride quality.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I used this analogy with Russ, and I use it a lot because it seems to resonate with the HP junkies who hang out here.

Revalves are akin to having you PCM tuned through the mail. You'll get something better than stock, geared toward what you have as best as can be understood by the tuner. Koni's are like strapping your car down to a chassis dyno, plugging in HP Tuners or Edit, a wide-band and doing exactly what you want or need.

There is a market for both. And sometimes changes breed changes. For example--If you change tire brands, and the new ones are stiffer sidewalled, the ride and handling will be altered. If you have Revalves that's that. If you have Koni's, you can play with them to best suit you. Maybe you like to drag race but want the car to handle too. You can turn down the rebound on the front shocks at the strip, but have more rebound for the street. These are but two examples of reasons adjustable shocks (that work correctly) are nice.

foxrus14

iTrader: (5)

Thanks for cleaning it up Sam... amd thanks again for the demonstration. you need an OHHH **** Bar...

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

And here my $85 Sumitomo's didn't even squeal. I try not to over do it showing off, but I need to drive quick enough to display the feel and stability....

It was nice meeting you too (I forgot to mention that before).

2002BlackSS

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the clarification - I guess I just misunderstood foxrus14. I really already knew all that, but it seemed like he was going to be able to get revalves that would equal SAs, and as trackbird said, they will under certain conditions.

I suppose since you (Sam) had the opportunity to personally check out his car, you can almost do a "dyno tune" type revalve for him, so unless his mods/tires significantly change, the revalves may be just as good as the SAs.

This all makes me think that my prior decision to use SAs when the time comes may be overlooking another option that would be just as good for me.

When I do get to the point that I can afford to do suspension, I'll definately be giving you a call.

lsx24

iTrader: (45)

Revales are a nice budget compromise. I like the adustability of the koni, moreso if you race on different tracks. The rebound adjustability comes into play nice in that situation.